Listening, learning and leading

Listening, learning and leading

MEDA president reflects on her first six months on the job

By Dorothy Nyambi

Q: What are your first impressions giving leadership to MEDA?

My first six months as MEDA’s president flew by in a whirlwind of activity. It has been a time of listening, learning and leading: familiarizing myself with the scope and purpose of our priority areas of work, visiting our supporters and partners in the field, and, most importantly, meeting the people and communities we serve.

I have been fortunate to spend time meeting with board members, Waterloo office colleagues and supporters in Ontario, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Manitoba and Germany. It has been an amazing opportunity to understand MEDA’s history. History is important. It is also important that we do not get stuck in history. It should help shape the future and we should remember: what we do today — and the future we give MEDA — will become our history of tomorrow.

MEDA has done a wealth of work using business solutions to alleviate poverty through granting, impact investment and technical assistance around the world. From humble beginnings in 1953, the story of the Sarona dairy farm in Paraguay that MEDA’s founders helped to support and where it is today, captures the sustainable development work we strive to achieve now. Time and experience have taught us how to be more efficient and to tailor our work. New economic development

innovations help us to achieve results in a shorter time span.

MEDA’s approach and use of blended finance — combining grants and investments (equity and or debt) — with technical assistance has been effective in sustainably improving lives and creating meaningful employment in developing and emerging markets.

Q: What are you hearing from supporters?

It is always good to do more listening than talking. This approach has served me well. From the MEDA board of directors, I am hearing the need to position MEDA for clarity, focus and going to scale. Whether it is a long- time supporter or a young professional just getting acquainted with MEDA, people have consistently shared a vision for MEDA to expand our support base beyond the Mennonite community. We will do that while retaining the values we are founded on.

MEDA has accomplished so much. How do we tell that story to serve as the foundation for moving forward? We have a wonderful opportunity with our new strategic planning process. This platform will allow us make the changes and adjustments required for MEDA to continue being relevant under steady and managed growth.

Q: What have you learned so far? Ensuring we have a clear strategic

direction is crucial as we move forward in the international landscape. Our MEDA colleagues bring substantial expertise and talent to the organization. The value of our data and information, how we process it, share it as a global resource, and tell our story and our impact are key.

Visiting, speaking with and listening to supporters in MEDA hubs throughout North America and in Germany has been rich and affirming. The commitment and dedication of MEDA supporters, in giving both time and money, is phenomenal. They care about the organization. Expanding our donor base is an important step in our future growth. We need to engage individuals and organizations who appreciate our values and are excited to partner with MEDA.

Q: What do you see for this next phase of leading at MEDA?

Leadership is something that we’re never done developing. I aim to lead by acknowledging that learning does not stop. Unlearning, where necessary, is equally important. Having a strong executive leadership team working together and an engaged board to support the efforts has been invaluable. To succeed, you must cultivate relationships with colleagues, and both mesh with and influence the culture. I have spent time on strategic assessment and reflection. While we continue to collect data, we have enough information to set goals and targets to move MEDA forward.

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Q: What comes next for MEDA?

We need to determine the greatest needs in international development, what MEDA can bring to the table to address these, and with whom we should be partnering with to accomplish this. Partnerships are key to address issues of gender inequality and protection of the environment. With 65 years of proven results, MEDA is poised to tackle these issues head on. MEDA builds lasting impact through business opportunities and proven methods. Seeking new ways of delivering our expertise and creating even more impact will be key to help position MEDA for the next 50 to 100 years. It’s critical that MEDA

photo by Susie Cochran

MEDA president Dorothy Nyambi (right) with IDE Canada president Stu Taylor during a visit to Winnipeg. Nyambi hopes the two development agencies will find ways to work together.

think and operate in innovative, progressive ways to continue to lead in this increasingly busy space. We must be nimble and responsive to the changing needs and opportunities in the world around us.

Bill and Melinda Gates (whose Gates Foundation funds global development programs and provides support to MEDA projects) said it so well in their year-end letter — they wish they had thought 10 years out, 10 years ago!

The speed of change in our society is accelerating. Evolution in many areas is measured in terms of weeks, no longer years. We must be prepared to operate in this accelerated mindset in innovation, partnerships

and collaboration. By collaborating with others within and outside of the Mennonite community, we will have greater capacity to build sustainable livelihoods for entrepreneurs around the world. No organization has all the answers.

There is always room for improvement. It is OK to fail in some areas and not be shy to talk about it. While MEDA has continued to build on a solid track record of success, here are some of the areas in which we are excited to broaden our thinking and our practice:

MEDA should focus our program work and be clear about who we are, guided by our vision, mission and values. Our strategic planning process will help us to clearly define what we offer, what our competitive advantage is, and how we can be most effective in our work.

We can improve how we tell the story of our economic development work — literally changing entrepreneurs’ lives, lifting them out of poverty. Alongside the development aspect of our story, we must be clear about who we are as a faith-based organization. Our actions speak to our Christian faith roots and our Mennonite beginnings.

As we examine our areas of specialization, we will look for ways to become more cutting edge and continue to be leaders in economic development. MEDA will also work to diversify our funding sources from private, government and other institutional donors.

Melinda Gates’ book The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World is inspiring me. Meeting MEDA members and donors has provided moments of “lift” for me as a leader. As I look at my personal journey there are many moments of lift. MEDA’s work in international development puts us in a privileged position. With that responsibility in mind, we must continue to invest in smart solutions and the vital work of our partners in the field so they continue to have their moments of lift through our work. ◆

7 The Marketplace July August 2019